The Curiosity Manifesto

Curiosity killed the cat. At least, that’s what we’ve been told. That’s the story we’ve been raised to accept. We’ve been collectively trained to remain within the confines of our comfort zones and avoid the dangers of the unknown.

We need a new paradigm.

To create a world in which innovation and cooperation are possible, we need to have the courage to dig deeper; we need to be willing to ask the tough questions; we need to embrace a posture of curiosity.

Welcome to the curious life…

The Curiosity Manifesto: A Call to Live the Curious Life is a book about learning new things and keeping an open mind.

I use a combination of academic research, historical narrative, and personal anecdotes to provoke readers to become more curious about their world.

Interactive References

Below is a list of the references I use in the book, along with hyper links to where you can access more content about them.

Stay Curious,

Doug

Kaplan, A. (1964). The Conduct of Inquiry: Methodology for Behavioral Science. I don’t know the actual origin of the “missing keys” story; I first heard it in a freshman philosophy class. Doing some research, I discovered this early citation in which philosopher Abraham Kaplan tells the story to illustrate a point about failed methodology in the social sciences and labels it “the drunkard’s search.” Kaplan does, however, indicate that the story is not of his own creation but was at the time a well-known folk tale from an unknown source.

Haran, H., Ritov, I., & Mellers, B.A. (2013, May). The role of actively open-minded thinking in information acquisition, accuracy, and calibration. Judgment and Decision Making, 8 (3), 188-201. Actively Open-minded Thinking, abbreviated AOT in the psychological literature, is defined by the authors of this study as “the tendency to weigh new evidence against a favored belief, to spend sufficient time on a problem before giving up, and to consider carefully the opinions of others in forming one’s own.” In the actual article, three studies are conducted. The one I do not mention in my narrative serves primarily to replicate the results of the first one I mention in my narrative, so I don’t discuss it. AOT was originally developed in a 1993 essay by Jonathan Baron–the 7-point list I use as the characteristics of people who demonstrate AOT was taken more or less directly from a test he devises in this essay. If you’re interested in the academic manifestation of what I call the “curious life,” AOT is it. I highly recommend you research it further. (Follow Jonathan Baron on Twitter @jonbaron1944).

Kashdan, T. (2009). Curious?: Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life. Obviously, I could have used much more from this book. As far as I know, it is the most extensive work on curiosity. Kashdan is a clinical psychiatrist as well as a research psychologist. He uses countless examples from the academic research, his professional experience, and popular culture that highlight the importance of curiosity. I definitely recommend reading the book. (Watch Todd Kashdan’s 2013 TED talk, and follow him on Twitter @toddkashdan).

Bay, M. (Director). (2005). The Island [Motion Picture]. Great movie. It’s fast-paced with lots of explosions and witty dialogue, so it’s entertaining. But there’s also a brilliant undercurrent of insight into the concepts of freedom and human nature. More to the point, the film emphasizes the power of human curiosity to overcome even the most dire of circumstances. That, of course, is something I can get behind.

Gaustad, E.S. (1966). The Religious History of America. Although I only allude to this book in a story I’m telling to make an unrelated point, I think some comments are in order. The book contains a highly detailed narrative of how religion shaped culture in America. Naturally, there is much conflict in the story–with the assimilation of Native Americans into the Christian faith, the disagreements between various Christian denominations, and the involvement of religion in politics and public education. Read this book, and then think about what I discuss in Part 3 in light of what you find.

Rand, A. (1938). Anthem. This allegory is a blatant criticism of socialism and elevation of capitalism. If you can look past the political implications, though, you’ll see an amazing story about discovery. The protagonist’s society is all about suppressing exploration and curiosity. When he breaks away from it, he dives headfirst into the curious life. If you want to know what I’m arguing against in this manifesto, it’s a society very much like that of Equality 7-2521.

Huxley, A. (1932). Brave New World. In this story, people are genetically engineered into certain classes. Each class (Alphas, Bettas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons) is also biologically programmed to be happy in their respective classes. Epsilons, the lowest class, don’t envy Alphas, the highest classes. And Alphas don’t pity Epsilons. Alphas love being Alphas. Epsilons love being Epsilons. Each person is content to remain within the confines of their own social classes.

DuPrau, J. (2003). The City of Ember. In this story, human beings are living in an underground city built centuries ago as a bunker for the survivors of a cataclysmic war. When children reach a certain age, they are arbitrarily assigned jobs to keep the city running. (Walden Media also made the book into a movie).

Lowry, L. (1993). The Giver. In this story, children are assigned the jobs they will hold for the rest of their lives when they turn twelve years old. Their roles contribute to the stability of a community that rewards conformity and punishes any manner of dissension by death (or, as Lowry calls it, “release”).

Godin, S. (2012). Stop Stealing Dreams: What is School For? Seth’s manifesto on education is full of profound insights, and I highly recommend reading it–as human curiosity is often made or broken within the public education system. I will say that Godin is not against public education. His manifesto merely calls attention to some systemic problems that need to be addressed. Namely, he calls for a greater emphasis on creativity and a lesser emphasize on standardized testing. I tend to agree with him. (Seth Godin writes a popular daily blog. His manifesto is also available in his massive collection of aphorisms and essays, Whatcha Gonna Do with That Duck?, and he delivered a TED talk on the subject as well).

Rosenthal, R. & Jacobson, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the Classroom. Many people have used this study to show the power of expectations, and it certainly does do that. However, that’s not always a good thing. Students, the “intelligent” ones AND the “unintelligent” ones, often see themselves through the eyes of their teachers. To me, this study and others like it are cautionary tales for educators. There is no greater way to stifle a child’s curiosity than to treat that child as if he or she is incapable of learning.

Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. In this amazing work of research, Dweck shows how, across a variety of contexts (sports, business, romance, education, etc.), there are two approaches people take in life. First, there’s the “fixed mindset,” in which people assume they cannot change. They can’t become more talented; they can’t get smarter; they can’t really improve. Either they’ve got it or they don’t. Then, there’s the opposite: the “growth mindset.” People with this mindset assume they can change. They believe they can become smarter and more talented, so they are willing to take the necessary actions to get there. People with the “growth mindset” are living the curious life. If you want a better idea of what I mean by “the curious life,” read Dweck’s book.

Chabris, C. & Simons, D. (2010). The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us. There is perhaps no book to this date that more effectively demonstrates the fallibility of human perceptions than this one. The “invisible gorilla” study is just the tip of the iceberg. Chabris and Simons provide powerful evidence for illusions of memory, confidence, and causality. To many people, the fact that we’re so bad at accurately interpreting reality would be a depressing prospect. On the other hand, this realization invites us to be more humble, tolerant, and open to learning. It invites us into the curious life.(Follow Chris on Twitter @cfchabris and Dan @profsimons. Also, check out the original video along with several others. They’ll blow your mind).

Samuelson, W., & Zeckhauser, R. (1988). Status quo bias in decision making. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 1, 7-59. The purpose of this article is to show that, contrary to classical economic theory, people do not always make the choice that is in their best interest. Instead, they demonstrate a bias toward doing nothing, even if they would be better off making a change. Economists have since attributed such behavior to what they call “switching costs.” Nevertheless, it provides interesting insight into our reluctance to change. In addition to the hypothetical experiment mentioned in my narrative, the authors conduct several other studies. For example, they collect a large amount of real world data and analyze it to show a bias toward existing health care coverage even when better plans are clearly available.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Exodus 3:1-4. I don’t want to take this too far out of context. Moments later, Moses does become decidedly less curious–offering up excuse after excuse as to why he can’t liberate his people, before finally consenting and following God’s command to become the Moses history remembers.

Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The Story of Success. Although the “10,000 hour principle” is probably the most cited idea from this book, I want to clarify that it’s only an illustration that serves Gladwell’s main thesis: that successful people are successful only because they are fortunate enough to be exposed to environments and opportunities that foster success. (Watch Malcolm Gladwell’s TED talk on his earlier book, The Tipping Point).

Stone, O. (Director). (1999). Any Given Sunday [Motion Picture]. I actually played peewee football for a couple of years and I remember the half-time pep talks being very similar to this one–you know, minus the “F” bombs. (Follow Oliver Stone on Twitter @theoliverstone).

Foley, J. (Director). (1992). Glengarry Glen Ross [Motion Picture]. I worked in sales for a few years, and I was exposed to this segment constantly. The “A.B.C.: Always Be Closing” mantra, although sometimes passive-aggressively tongue-in-cheek, was a favorite among my sales managers.

Bush, G.W. (2010). Decision Points. Although I use this particular quote to illustrate a point, I want to be clear that most of Bush’s narrative paints him as a level-headed leader, ready and willing to entertain a diverse range of opinions and listen to the counsel of others.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Jude 3. In many places, like the passage mentioned here, the New Testament encourages Christians to confront error and steer clear of heretical doctrines. While I certainly understand this sentiment, I also think it’s good for Christians–and all other religious groups–to expose themselves to conflicting ideas. If, as I discuss in my narrative, their beliefs are found to be true when put to the test, I think that it will only serve to make them stronger. (For example of how being open-minded benefits Christianity, read about the Bereans in Acts 17).

Dawkins, R. (2006). The God Delusion. My criticism of Dawkins in this passage is not meant to be personal. I believe he is a brilliant biologist, philosopher, and orator. My intention is to show that it’s not just religious people who are prone to human biases. Anyone can be, including–for example–an eminent scientist like Richard Dawkins. We’re all capable of losing sight of truth in order to grind an axe. (See Dawkins’s TED Talk on Militant Atheism, and follow him on Twitter @richarddawkins).

Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. This collection of research experiments provides the foundation for much of the work in human decision-making that followed–particularly in the field of consumer behavior.

Haidt, J. (2012). The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. I recommend this book to everyone I know who has deeply-held political or ideological beliefs, particularly those who are hostile to people who believe differently. The book explains the roots of moral psychology and how they influence our values and social norms. I recommend reading it; I guarantee it will change the way you think about people different from you. (Watch Jonathan Haidt’s TED talk and follow him on Twitter @jonhaidt).

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Kahneman is referenced in the above study, as the anchoring questions come from his 1995 article–and he is considered a pioneer in identifying the effect. I feel obliged to mention this book, though, as it contains the most exhaustive collection of research experiments on human behavior that I’ve ever seen. If you want to know how our minds play tricks on us, read Kahneman’s book. (Watch Daniel Kahneman’s TED talk on experience and memory).

Stone, D., Patton, B., & Heen, S. (1999). Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most. The most insightful and practical book on human communication I’ve ever read. A large component of this work has to do with adopting a posture of curiosity in communicating with others. The “third story” concept is just one example of the many helpful tips these authors reveal that make tough conversations much easier to have.

Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2013). Decisive: How to Make Better Decisions in Life and Work. Most of the psychology books I read are about how decisions are made. This one is about how to make decisions. In other words, it’s a practical guide to decision-making, rather than merely a study of it. If you’re in a position where you’ve got to make a lot of tough decisions (and who isn’t?), I highly recommend reading it.

Cohen, D.H. (2013, February). “Daniel H. Cohen: for argument’s sake.” TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_h_cohen_for_argument_s_sake.html. TED (Technology, Education, and Design) talks are speeches about a variety of issues in a variety of disciplines. This talk is actually a TEDx talk–an independently licensed event in which speeches are made following the TED format. I encourage you to watch this speech and many others on TED’s website. I guarantee you’ll get hooked.

Li, C., & Bernoff, J. (2008). Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies. I love studying how the proliferation of social media has impacted business, because it is a striking example of the tug-of-war between living the curious life and clinging to the status quo. Many PR and marketing folks still like to act like they have complete control over the message. This book and a whole genre of others have provided countless case studies that demonstrate otherwise. In the age of the social web, businesses face a choice: ignore the reality that customers have more power than ever or embrace the change, listen, and learn. In a lot of ways, that’s the very same choice I’ve discussed in this book. (Follow Charlene on Twitter @charleneli and Josh @jbernoff).

Plato. (380 BCE). The Republic. The story Socrates tells about the people in the cave is an amazing allegory about truth and discovery. But I encourage you to read the entirety of The Republic. There is perhaps no greater manifestation of a conversation filled with curiosity than the Socratic dialogues.

Bright, M. (Executive Producer). (2006, December 10). “Living Together.” Planet Earth[Television Series]. If you want to see an interesting conversation about the conflict between people trying to make a life for themselves and conservationists trying to protect the natural world, watch this final episode of Planet Earth.

Aesop. (620-554 BCE). “The Fox and the Grapes.” Aesop’s Fables. I love this story. It’s a lot like the missing keys story with which I open the book. We tend to be more drawn to comfort and convenience than we are to truth and knowledge. Living the curious life, I believe, can change that.

Turteltaub, J. (Director). (2005). National Treasure [Motion Picture]. This is a great film about continuing the search, even when everyone around you thinks you’re crazy.

Draper, R. (2013, November). “The Last Chase.” National Geographic, 28-63. This feature story is both a heart wrenching and inspiring tale of a man pursuing his life’s work to the death. I just love the emphasis he places on getting the data, and I can’t help but see it as a metaphor for living the curious life. (Follow Robert on Twitter @draperrobert).

Godin, S. (2011). Poke the Box. This little book has perhaps inspired me more in my life and work than any other I’ve ever read. It’s essentially a manifesto about having the courage to take chances and start things. What Godin advocates is the natural outflow of the curious life; it’s the creative life. Consider my book a prequel; now, go read his.